A public hearing regarding Milan
High School AYP (Annual Yearly Progress) rating was held at the
regular school board meeting on Monday, March 14. The public hearing
is required as per PL221 for schools that are put on academic
probation.

According to high school principal Rich Healy, Milan made five
out of ten categories for AYP. In English and math the state target
is 95% with MHS earning 91% in English and 95% in math.

Graduate rate is also taken into consideration for AYP. The rate
is an average of three years. Milans rate of 76% is below
the state rate of 82%.

Action has been taken to address some of the issues that affect
AYP. Revisions to the school improvement plan are being considered
to meet the needs of at-risk students, according to Healy.

The graduation rate is another factor for improvement, according
to Healy. He explained that 89% of the current seniors will need
to graduate at the end of the school year. The issue will continue
to be discussed between the patrons, the board and the school.

High school Spanish teacher Emily Kugler requested the board consider
a class trip to Spain for the Spanish 3 and 4 classes during Spring
Break 2012. The trip will then be available every two years.

According to Kugler, the proposed trip will provide an educational
experience for students and allow them to use those language skills
learned in class. There will be a variety of cultural venues that
will include visits to historical sites and museums.

The students will hold fundraisers to fund the trip, according
to Kugler. The trip would cost about $3,000 and would include
transportation fees, accommodations, meals and museum fees.

Superintendent Thomas Reale presented information regarding a
balanced calendar for the board to review. Reale explained that
several area schools are considering a balanced calendar with
a few schools making plans to switch.

According to Reale, a balanced calendar has several advantages
including a shorter summer break, which improves a students
retention of what they learned the previous year. It also gives
a two-week break after every nine weeks, which allows students
and teachers to recoup between grading periods.

Information about an energy savings program was presented for
the boards review. The program uses technology already in
place to help reduce energy consumption that could result in a
savings of about 10% per month.

The cost of the project is about $46,700 with a 10-year warranty.
The board unanimously approved to table the request until the
next meeting for further research.